Abuja, Nigeria— The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has outlined crucial milestones and preparations for the upcoming Edo State governorship election, scheduled for September 21, 2024. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, revealed significant updates during a meeting with political parties in Abuja on Thursday.

Highlighting the agency’s readiness, Yakubu announced that the signing of the peace accord will take place on September 12, 2024, in Benin City. This event, organized in collaboration with the National Peace Committee, aims to ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process. The peace accord will be presided over by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Chairman of the Peace Committee. The decision to hold the signing early, Yakubu explained, is to allow for the monitoring of compliance with the accord in the lead-up to the election.

Yakubu also provided updates on other key activities. A Mock Accreditation exercise is scheduled for September 10, 2024, to test the deployment of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and the result upload process. Additionally, INEC has completed 10 out of the 13 planned activities for the election. Notable achievements include the printing of triplicate copies of the voters’ register for all 4,519 polling units in Edo State and the installation and configuration of BVAS machines.

“With just 22 days remaining until the election, campaigns are in full swing, and we have made significant progress,” Yakubu said. “The final register of voters, containing details of 2,629,025 registered voters, was presented to political parties on August 20, 2024.”

Yakubu outlined the remaining activities: the publication of the Notice of Poll on September 7, 2024; the last day of the campaign on September 19, 2024; and the election day on September 21, 2024. He also noted the successful completion of training for security personnel and ongoing voter education efforts.

In addressing logistical arrangements, Yakubu revealed that observer accreditation tags are being produced and the media accreditation portal will close next week. So far, 88 media organizations have applied, with 698 personnel registered to cover the election.

A notable achievement highlighted by Yakubu was the collection rate of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs). Out of 184,438 new PVCs issued through the recent Continuous Voter Registration, 125,928, representing 68.3%, have been collected. This rate surpasses previous benchmarks set in off-cycle elections.

The INEC Chairman urged further mobilization to ensure higher PVC collection rates before the September 8 deadline. “We appreciate the efforts of political parties and stakeholders in this regard and encourage continued engagement,” he said.

Upcoming activities include a Mock Accreditation exercise on September 10 and the Peace Accord signing on September 12. An INEC Stakeholders meeting will precede the peace accord on September 11 in Benin City. Yakubu emphasized that all stakeholders, including political parties, security agencies, and election observers, will play a crucial role in ensuring a free and fair election.

Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), underscored the importance of respecting the people’s mandate and maintaining the integrity of the ballot box. He called for issue-based campaigns and a focus on national unity and development, noting that the Edo election will serve as a litmus test for the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for November 16, 2024.

Dantalle assured that IPAC will work closely with INEC, security agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure that every vote counts and the electoral process remains transparent and credible.